Safe and Sound
by Penguin412
Summary: One-shot songfic based on Taylor Swift's song: Safe and Sound


A/N: This was written a while ago, I found it the other day while I was procrastinating... =S

It's loosely based on the lyrics of "Safe and Sound" by Taylor Swift, (which I do not own). I also don't own HP, the characters, a scanner or a bicycle.

Also, there are some flashbacks, I hope the writing isn't too horrible to read.

* * *

><p>"Don't…" He grasped her hand with the little strength he could muster. "Don't you remember?"<p>

-%-

She heard her door open. From where she was sitting in the dark, she could make out a figure. He was tall and the dim light from the corridor showed his light blonde hair.

"Granger," the visitor stepped forward, closing the door. "You should leave Hogwarts."

Anger flared up inside her, how dare he suggest such a thing, after the thousands of arguments; did he actually want to get his bits hexed off? "Welcome back to you too. How was your holiday?" She asked, her icy voice reverberating off the walls of her head girl's room.

He was now very close, she could see the flecks of black in his eyes, even in such poor lighting. "Haven't you been reading the news? Don't you see what's happening?" She almost flinched at the words that were angrily hurled at her, yet the hand on her arm was gentle.

"Of course I have," Hermione sighed, resuming her seat. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to let them scare me away. We will fight for our freedom."

"Please." His voice was no more than a whisper. She could tell now that he was trembling, as he knelt at her feet. Quick as a flash, she pushed up his sleeve.

"It's because of this isn't it?"

"They're… They want -" He never got to finish, Hermione silenced him with a kiss.

"I don't want to hear it. Tell Harry. Tell Remus. Merlin, even tell Dumbledore." Their foreheads were touching. "Just, don't tell me." She closed her eyes. "You know I'll still never let you go. No matter what."

He pulled her onto his lap, where they sat in the darkness. She could feel the wetness clinging to her brow where it came into contact with his face.

"You're a good person Draco. I don't care what they say. You're not full of darkness like them, you -"

"You're wrong." His eyes were unfocused, lost.

"No. No I'm not." She said simply.

-%-

She remembers his first moment of weakness, granted that he would never have allowed anyone to see him in such a state if he were in control. It was funny, they were in the exact same place on that fateful day. Hermione had just finished lunch and decided to visit the girl's bathroom on the second floor before class when she heard someone turn on the tap. Thinking it was nothing, she ignored it and proceeded to the stalls. However, soon there were spells being hurled around and she began to doubt that she walked into a girl's bathroom at all. But before she could do anything to reprimand the 'duellers'...

"_Sectumsempra_" A pause. And then, hurried footsteps retreating.

"Malfoy?" Hermione walked out of her cubicle, surprisingly unscathed. She stared at the lumpy figure on the floor. "What in the name of Snape's baggy shorts are you doing in the girl's bathroom?" Such an occasion meant a Ron-level profanity.

He rolled his eyes. _Trust her to completely miss the point of me being mortally wounded. _"Help," was all he could manage aloud.

As she healed his wounds to a less life-threatening state, he tried explaining. "Snape doesn't own shorts." A grunt. "At least I hope he doesn't." Draco shuddered at the image of his godfather in shorts, black of course.

It was then she saw the mark on his arm and decided to snap out of her confusion, unleashing her fury. "What the hell were you doing throwing curses at other students? I should have to tell Professor McGonagall about this." With that, she turned to leave, standing up abruptly.

"Don't leave me here alone."

"You're funny. In fact, Dumbledore should know."

"That I'm funny?" He cocked an eyebrow. "I didn't know you were so close with that barmy old codger."

She made a frustrated noise and promptly disappeared. It was the same day that the trio found out that Draco was in the precarious position of double agent. Turncoat, if you will.

Harry apologised to Draco too.

-%-

She looked at the scene in front of her, the inevitable reality. "Shh," he too had glistening eyes. "Just close your eyes, you need the rest." She soothed, cradling the blonde head on the cold floor.

"Look Granger," he croaked, "the sun is going down."

She didn't have the heart to tell him that the lights mimicking the sunset were from the great hall and the grounds. Voldemort's death eaters had managed to penetrate the protection of the castle, after attacking those on the front line of defence. Draco had been catapulted by a masked death eater through a window and onto the statue of the one eyed witch, after extensive sessions of torture. He was hit with a slow curse just as Hermione found him. She could do nothing to heal him, any magic used to reverse the curse would exacerbate it's damage.

She never wanted him to lead this double life, not even if it meant it was for her own selfishness.

"Promise me, you'll be alright."

Even in his present state he could be so stubborn. "Shh Draco. No one can hurt you now."

Just at that moment, something slammed on the door to Myrtle's bathroom; it was almost ironic, a reminder of the chaos outside.

-%-

The form on her lap shifted to get a view of the small frosted windows adorning the walls of the bathroom. He hoped for a better view of the glow of dusk.

"Don't you dare look out the window." She repositioned herself to shield the view. Draco looked up at her, a question in his eyes.

"Everything's on fire, the war… I don't want…" She trailed off. _I don't want this to be the last thing you see._ "We can't see the proper sunset," she amended.

He didn't have it in him to do anything, be it comfort her or shake her out of her illusions. _This is a war,_ he wanted to scream at her. _You can't stop or hide the inevitable, so why mourn it?_ But all he did was lie there on her folded legs, holding her arm to him tightly.

"The sun is going down." He stubbornly managed to choke out after a while. Had it been minutes? Or hours? "You don't have to see it. It's still there, not matter how the war rages." She didn't say anything, gazing into his silvery eyes, her own laced with unshed tears. "Just think, if every sunset looked like our first sunset, no one would get anything done. People would just sit around waiting to admire it."

She smiled weakly and together they reminisced.

-%-

"Come with me." Hermione glanced up from her research at Grimmauld Place's kitchen table. Harry had let the Order have carte blanche over his late godfather's house during the summer before seventh year. Hermione took this opportunity to thoroughly go through the Black's library she had found during the Easter break.

Draco stood in the doorway, waiting for her response. When she didn't and resumed reading, he sauntered over and gently closed her book. "You've been at that since you woke up. Come, I have something to show you."

Grudgingly, she let him lead her out of her cave, ahem, kitchen, and to her surprise, they ended up on the roof of Harry's house.

"See? You're looking happier already. Besides, your legs need some exercise, sitting there all day will make you fat."

"You did _not _ just call me fat."

"Actually… I think I did." He snickered. She punched him playfully and momentarily lost her balance. Before she could blink, an arm snaked around her shoulders and pulled her to a sitting position.

"I was not about to fall! Hello? Cushioning ch-" She was cut off by the view in front of her. It was the sunset. But it could have been so much more. They were bathed in an orange glow, with faint golden hues emanating from the star. "Oh my ferret. It amazing."

He scowled at her choice of exclamation. Ever since they stopped being 'enemies', this bright young witch had managed to incorporate ferret-y things in her usually Ron-inspired comments. "Told you so, fatty."

She elbowed him, despite his arm still around her shoulders and smiled. At him. He couldn't decide which was more beautiful.

-%-

"I wanted to tell you I love you. That day." She didn't even bother looking down at him when he said that. Maybe she was still caught in the past.

"Stop it."

"I still do." He took a deep breath. Which was kind of hard and painful, he found. "Even with your impending obesity. And jungle hair. And the fact that you pay more attention to books than me." She finally looked at him. Her expression was pained. She stroked his hair gently and nodded.

"It's always been you." Hermione paused. "It will always be you." It didn't sound so scary when she said it aloud.

"No." She looked at him in surprise. "Don't say that. You'll find someone else."_ As much as it pains me to say this. _"Someone who will love you and take care of you and make you happy."_ Over my dead body. Which may become very real, very soon._

She just shook her head sadly and smiled.

Neither one of the could tell how much time had passed before a faint ethereal howling could be heard.

"Ooh, it's hoorrible. So many people in masks." A translucent figure drifted toward the lovers on the floor.

"Myrtle" Hermione called out. "What's happening?"

"The-they're slaughtering _everyone!_" The permanent schoolgirl shrieked. "Oh no. So much blood."

"Shouldn't you be happy? I mean, you're dead. People are dying. More friends? Hello?" The blonde commented from the floor. This insensitivity earned him a tsk-ing noise from Hermione and wailing cries from the girl.

"Of course you won't understand. You're not a ghost. Like me." With that, she zoomed out through the closed door, moaning.

"Not yet, anyway." He commented dryly. The arms around him tightened.

-%-

"Oh nooooooo." The howling returned. _Too soon_, thought Draco. "Harry. Harry is in trouble!" Hermione turned to the source.

"What do you mean?" She asked sharply. "What about the others?"

"What others? There _are_ no others left! Pro… Professor Dumbledore is injured and the masked killers are moving in!" She began to hyperventilate. Regardless of her ability to annoy the living daylights out of anyone, she was indeed very loyal to the trio, and Draco.

He knew what she needed to do. "Go. They need you."

"No, you need me." She clung to him fiercely. Tears threatened to leave her eyes.

"Please, Hermione. Go." He kissed her knuckles and whispered, "Go, so I won't have died for nothing." He uttered the magic words and he could see her resolve waning.

She leant over and kissed him. "I promised I'd never let you go."

He shook his head as if it didn't matter any more and gazed into her deep brown eyes, trying to seal them in his memory, or at least for the next few hours. "Promise me you'll be alright." Somewhere in the distance Myrtle wailed.

"Come morning, we'll both be. You and I." She kissed him again and slowly shifted him onto the floor, charmed to stay warm. Before he knew it, she was no longer there.

"I'll always be with you." _Even when the music's gone._

_-%-_

She looked back at the entrance of Myrtle's bathroom before hurrying to join the fight.

_In the morning, Draco. In the morning when this is all over. _"Safe and Sound."


End file.
